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        New Message Board Archives >> 2004-2005 Getting to Know Ya Posts >> "Good thing you don't deliver Oxygen...."
        
(Message started by: kingsiren on Mar 18^th, 2005, 12:30am)

Title: "Good thing you don't deliver Oxygen...."
Post by kingsiren on Mar 18^th, 2005, 12:30am

So my doctor finally takes the time to read and when I go to see him for the 4th time in 3 weeks he apologizes profusely and tells me that he has instructed one of his nurses to arrange for an O2 set up for me. GREAT!!!! I mean, better late than never and he is a good guy who does want to help so I'm glad I don't have to change doctors again...hopefully if he gets any new patients that suffer from CH's he will offer the O2 right away. He prescribes me Topomax and gives me a 2 month supply as well as a dozen Relpax pills and 6 Imitrex inhalers. I am a happy puppy.

I call my insurance company and they tell me that I have to get my set up from Aprila. My doc had made arangements with another supply house but it shouldn't be a big deal for his nurse to call Aprila and get me my O2 right? They can't take the order from me they have to get it from my doctor even though I have a prescription. I ask them what they want it to say they tell me to be specific (i.e. 8-12 lpm w/ a non-rebreathing mask) Heres where I start getting aggro.....

My doctor is Russian and his entire staff is Russian. His bookkeeper and his receptionist speak perfect English, one of his nurses has a heavy accent and the other is like the old lady from that old commercial "Is Next SvimVare Is Next Eveningvare" So I call up and ask them to write a new script as the original specified 2lpm of O2 and did not specify the mask. The girl wants me to fax her what I want her to fax them. I don't have a fax machine. I spell it out for her, slowly. I spell it again. She gives the phone to the other nurse, I spell it for her, I spell it again. The bookeeper gets on to double check. It's almost like a comedy now but who cares I'm getting my oxygen right? It gets worse......

SO I call the supply house again and tell them that my doctor is sending over the script and can I get the O2 today. They say absolutely, it's pre-certified Blue Cross pays for O2 for Cluster's and I say great!!!!! I'm happy.
4:30, the supply house calls. My doctors nurse sent them a script for a non-rebreathing mask. Thats it, no O2. I call back, 20 minutes explaining again, they will send it but now it's 5:00. I don't trust them so I go to my office and fax them the copy of the script I have so now they have both a script for the oxygen and the mask. I'm not happy, but I'm gonna get it right?

I had the day off work and I stayed home all day waiting for my O2. 1pm, 2pm, 3pm I call. 25 minutes on hold. 3 people transfer me, who has the order? Finally some guy gets on and has the balls to ask me to call him back. This is a respiratory supply house, they sell oxygen and they want me to call them back. I'm trying my best not to snap out and lose my temper, I tell the guy to take my number and call me back ASAP.

So he calls me back at 4:20. He has the order, someone will get back to me by 5 to scheduke a delivery. 4:55, no call I call back, on hold again until the machine tells me that customer service is closed......I'm fuming mad. Spitting mad.

These people handle respiratory therapy for Blue Cross Blue Shield. We are talking about life and death here, and these incompetent morons could care less. I work in the service industry and if something is delivered late we always joke "Good think you don't deliver oxygen"

Well..................

Title: Re: "Good thing you don't deliver Oxygen....&
Post by RichardN on Mar 18^th, 2005, 3:56am

Considering your experience so far, you probably should figure the above into your calculations of how many tanks you will want to have on hand. Do they have weekend delivery?

When I first got my 02 (2/02), my med supplier got their tanks on thursdays and would sometimes be out by the following tuesday. Now I keep seven "E" tanks and two "B" tanks. Never go into a weekend without at least two full tanks. If you're in cycle and having multiple hits daily, you don't want to leave the supply store with one tank.

My supplier now has three other 02 users for CH.

Hope you/they "get it together" soon (like TODAY) so you may enjoy the benefits.

DON'T USE THE STRAP !

Be Safe, PFDANs

Richard

Title: Re: "Good thing you don't deliver Oxygen....&
Post by don on Mar 18^th, 2005, 7:17am

Quote:

These people handle respiratory therapy for Blue Cross Blue Shield

Call BC/BS and document the event with them.

Title: Re: "Good thing you don't deliver Oxygen....&
Post by eyes_afire on Mar 18^th, 2005, 8:08pm

Apria?

Yeah, what a damn mess they are... can't even keep their billing straight. They're a bureaucratic monster...

--- Steve

Title: Re: "Good thing you don't deliver Oxygen....&
Post by jokrs2 on Mar 18^th, 2005, 9:36pm

And they call it the customer service dept? OMG >:(
Hope they straighten it out for you soon.
Best wishes, Joe

Title: Re: "Good thing you don't deliver Oxygen....&
Post by kingsiren on Mar 18^th, 2005, 11:55pm

Better late than never....I finally got my delivery at 4:00 pm today and I have to say that the driver so far was the most sympathetic person in the medical/insurance industry that I have ever spoken to. He asked me right away if I had CH's and said that I would be very happy with the results from the O2. The company had me 2 medium size tanks but he was concerned that it wasn' enough so he gave me 4 at no extra cost. Very nice guy but guess what he didn't have? A non-rebreathing mask....unreal. After my doctor sent a seperate script specifying it, they neglected to send one. I went to 4 different surgical supplies and not one of the had it in stock. My brother in FDNY so I was going to get one from his firehouse tomorrow but I saw an EMT on the way home tonight and I pulled over and told him my story. Right away he gave me 2 masks and wished me luck so there goes one more person in the medical field who I don't have to despise. God Bless him, and God Bless you all for listening to me rant and rave on here. The Topomax has me exhausted, I don't even need the Melatonin, and I'm not afraid to go to bed. I don't have to worry that I only have 2 Imitrex inhalers to last me until the 15th of next month, I don't have to be terrified of the beast coming to get me......Thank God for small mercies

Title: Re: "Good thing you don't deliver Oxygen....&
Post by judkins on Mar 19^th, 2005, 12:30am

:) :) :)
Happy that things have eventually turned out okay for you. That guy sounds great.... total respect to him.
PFDNs ;)

Title: Re: "Good thing you don't deliver Oxygen....&
Post by jokrs2 on Mar 19^th, 2005, 12:44pm

Thank God for delivery drivers and EMT's. Great news!
PFD&N's, Joe

Title: Re: "Good thing you don't deliver Oxygen....&
Post by Gator on Mar 26^th, 2005, 2:55am

Glad you finally got what you needed. You have a hell of a lot more patience than me, bro. I'd have been chewing nails and spitting bullets the first day. I don't wait for no delivery. I go straight to the supply place and deal face to face with them. It's harder for them to blow you off if you're within arms reach.

Title: Re: "Good thing you don't deliver Oxygen....&
Post by Judge_Smails on Apr 1^st, 2005, 2:14pm

I just got my O2 delivered yesterday - it's the first time I'm trying it after years and years of suffering. They actually gave me a unit that plugs into my outlet that manufactures the 100% O2. They gave me a tank but that's just incase there is a power outage. I actually ended up using the O2 last night when I felt a CH coming on (I've been on Prednisone for 3 days and it's working pretty well) - after 10 min of breathing the O2 I felt great. It really is a great alternative to Imitrex. Now I can use the O2 when I'm at home and save the Imitrex for when I'm out or at work.

good luck!